Empty and Useless
by madwriter223
Summary: [set immediately after s02e11 Kō No Mono] With Margot in her current state, she would be useless to Hannibal. That just wouldn't do. [Because I want Margot to have some kind of a happy ending.]


**Empty and Useless**

When Margot woke, she felt numb and horribly _empty_. She slowly lifted one hand and inched her trembling fingers along her side and across her abdomen. She could feel the stitches.

He'd really done it. He'd taken everything from her. She had nothing now.

"I'm nothing." She whispered, voice so raspy it was nearly non-existent. Nothing.

Beside her bed, Dr. Lecter pursed his lips, twisting one corner upwards. He stood up and moved into Margot's line of sight, laying his palm across her hand. "Margot? Margot, can you hear me?"

She looked over at him, her eyes wide open and glistering with despair. "I'm nothing." She repeated, voice breaking.

Hannibal cocked his head to the side, eyeing the distraught woman. Deep shock then, fuelled by the anaesthesia.

"Indeed you are, Margot." He murmured and reached for the morphine dispenser button. He pressed it and kept a careful watch of Margot's face until the narcotics pulled her back into sleep.

He had been rather curious how this situation would end with his gentle prodding. But now, faced with the result, he had to admit this wasn't what he'd wanted. Margot, even when she woke up completely, would be in no state to reclaim her freedom by killing her brother. She would be in no state for any independent thought or decisions at all. The trauma of losing this part of herself combined with the stress of each and every single interaction with Mason would only serve to drive her deeper inside of herself. She'd be a will-less puppet and Mason would be yanking her every which way he wanted. She would be useless.

This just wouldn't do.

"Good morning, Margot." Dr. Lecter greeted softly, entering her private room. "How are you feeling today?"

She stared at him with dead eyes, the emptiness inside her burning.

Dr. Lecter's lips thinned and he closed the door, turning the lock quietly. He stepped closer and sat down on the single chair by her bed, shifting it closer to her.

He hesitated briefly, then lay his hand on hers, squeezing her fingers gently.

"I am truly sorry this happened to you." He said softly, tone sad. "But in a way I am glad. I hope that now you will be able to make the right choice for you." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "With this... you can see what kind of man Mason truly is and how little regard he has for you. You are not even a toy to him. You are merely a thing that he can destroy and chain to himself at will." He swallowed audibly and glanced at her middle, expression regretful. "Now there is no possible way for you to get the Verger inheritance. With this... travesty, all your ties are cut. All your chances here are severed."

Her eyes filled with tears at the harsh statements, and she tried to blink them away. They just started running down her cheeks. Dr. Lecter's face tightened with emotions, and he lifted her hand, rubbing it between both of his.

"No one here loves you, Margot, no one ever has." He continued, eyes pained. "Not your mother, not your father, and certainly not your brother. And now, the one thing that you could've used to create someone to love you has been stolen from you. Snatched away just because it could've brought you a sliver of happiness."

The tears came harder now, and Margot nodded softly, surrendering to the truth.

Dr. Lecter smiled softly, sadly. "When you woke up from the anaesthesia, you said that you are nothing." He told her in a whisper. "And you are right. In Mason's eyes, you are less than nothing. But that just means that you can now rebuilt yourself from the very bottom. You can create a whole new Margot and be finally free of him."

"...I can't." She rasped, her throat tight with unvoiced sobs.

"Not here, no." He agreed with a soft sigh. "Here, Mason will hang over you like a perverse and tenacious shadow. But if you come with me, I can help you. I've made arrangements. All you need to do is put these on" Dr. Lecter handed her a bag filled with clothes and she grasped at it weakly. "And leave the hospital with me."

She stared at him, hesitation blatant in her expression.

"I promise you, I will make sure Mason will never find you." Dr. Lecter added, tone reassuring.

Margot wanted to protest, wanted to think it over a bit more, but she knew. She knew what her life would be like if she stayed. She didn't even need to imagine it, she knew in her heart it would kill her. So she forced her aching body to get up.

The clothes were simple, but warm and soft. Nothing that would draw attention to her, nothing to indicate who she was. She got dressed with Dr. Lecter's help, then settled into the wheelchair the room provided. She was expecting more security, truth be told, but it was laughingly simple to just wheel past the nurses and doctors. No one seemed to notice them, no one seemed to even care.

Then they went out the front door and she took her first deep breath since she woke up empty.

Dr. Lecter drove her to a remote bus station and wheeled her straight to one of the buses. He stopped a little away, then crouched in front of her, opening the bag he carried.

"Here are some clothes and provisions. There's also a bottle of prescription pain medication, take one or two tablets with some food when you need it." He explained, giving her a full backpack. He placed an envelope on top of it. "Here are your new ID and some medical information on... the operation. There's some money as well, it should be enough for a start. I've contacted an acquaintance, he'll pick you up and help you get settled once you reach your destination."

She stared at the items in her lap for a moment, then looked at him. "Why are you helping me?" She asked.

Dr. Lecter looked back at her, expression closed off. Then he gave a tight-lipped smile and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "You remind me of my sister." He said simply, voice low. "Now come along. I've got your ticket, all you need to do now is just get on the bus."

She nodded and steeled herself as he wheeled her over to the open entrance. Once Dr. Lecter handed him her ticket, the driver helped her get up the few stairs and put away her wheelchair. She thanked him quietly, then looked out the window, smiling gratefully at Dr. Lecter. She clutched the backpack tightly when the bus started moving and she clenched her eyes tight, crying despite herself.

This was it.

When they finally arrived, Margot had to wait for everyone to get off before she could attempt it herself. The driver helped her again, then she wheeled herself away slowly. She had to stop once she was out of the bus station, and she sat there for a few minutes, just staring at everything around her. This was to be her new home. It was very bright here. Bright and warm.

"Hello. Are you Margot?" A man suddenly walked up to her and she tensed. He was quick to put up his hands, smiling in a friendly manner. "I'm a friend of Hannibal's."

She relaxed, remembering Dr. Lecter said someone would help her out here. "...yes, that's me."

"Great." He smiled and gestured to some woman to come over to them. "My name's Dexter Morgan, that's my sister Debra. We're both police officers and we'll help you."

"Help me?" She repeated uncertainly, eyeing them both.

"Yeah. Hannibal said that you've escaped an abusive relationship, and that you'll need medical attention?" Dexter cocked his head to the side, sounding unsure.

"I had an operation." She admitted, pained. "A big one."

Debra nodded and stepped behind her and started pushing her wheelchair towards a parked car. "Come on then, we've found you a spot in a free clinic." She explained, matter-of-factly. "After that we'll help you find an apartment and a job. Is there anything you can do?"

"...I'm good with horses." Margot said after some thought. She'd always liked horses.

"Perfect, I'm sure that'll come in handy." Dexter smiled at her and she hesitantly smiled back. "Welcome to Miami, Margot."


End file.
